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Science 8 October 1971:
Vol. 174. no. 4005, pp. 150 - 153
DOI: 10.1126/science.174.4005.150
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Articles

Amino Acid Composition of Proteins as a Product of Molecular Evolution

Tomoko Ohta 1 and Motoo Kimura 1

1 Department of Population Genetics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka-ken 411, Japan

The average amino acid composition of proteins is determined by the genetic code and by random base changes in evolution. Small but significant deviations from expected composition can be explained by selective constraint on amino acid substitutions. In particular, the deficiency of arginine in proteins has been caused by constraint, during evolution, on fixation of mutations substituting arginine for other amino acids.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Inferring Selection on Amino Acid Preference in Protein Domains.
A. M. Moses and R. Durbin (2009)
Mol. Biol. Evol. 26, 527-536
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Gene Pool of Higher Organisms as a Product of Evolution.
M. Kimura (1974)
Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol 38, 515-524
   Abstract »    PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)